One year ago I decided to start this thing called FlaredupFitness to share my story while promoting health, wellness, nutrition, and fitness. I wanted to show people with my disease what can be possible while pushing the limits of their body and mind even with a debilitating chronic disease.
When I was first diagnosed over 6 years ago, I wish I knew someone with IBD who could guide me through and show me what has worked for them. So starting FlaredupFitness just made sense. All I wanted was to make a difference in someone’s life, big or small and provide motivation by showing what has helped me deal with my unusual situation.
Before my blog, even some of my close friends had no idea I had Crohn’s. I did a very good job at keeping Crohn’s hidden unless you know me well. Opening up about my disease not only to friends but also publically is something I find very difficult. Friends and family rarely know the extent or the ugly parts of what I have to go through. I’ve struggled to hide it for over 6 years hoping I could just ignore it and continue on like nothing is wrong with me. I wanted nothing more in life than to be considered “normal” like my friends. I’ve always thought people would think I am “weird” or contagious. I thought people wouldn’t understand my disease and consider me an outcast. I thought girls would be scared off and find me gross once they find out I have Crohn’s. It has taken years, but I feel I’ve finally stopped worrying about what people think about me. It feels so good to let others in and share some of the things I have to deal with on a daily basis.
Looking back, it’s pretty awesome to see what you’ve overcome and accomplished in the last year. The best advice I can give looking back at the past year is do not take your health for granted. The aspect of health is often overlooked (myself included). Being sick for extended periods of time really changed my outlook on life. I always try my best to make sure there’s not a day that goes by where I do not appreciate the days where I do feel good. I encourage everyone to make the most of those good days and not be so worried about the small things in life, things can always be a lot worse..
I started my blog/website a year ago today and it has definitely been the most rewarding thing I have done to date. I’ve got people contacting me through my blog or instagram from all over the world. There is no better motivation than knowing you’re helping others in similar situations to yours. Seeing that there are others out there who are fighting chronic diseases and still doing amazing things makes living with an autoimmune disease a lot easier.
A huge thanks for all the support and to everyone helped make this possible. Always proud but never satisfied, big things coming this year, stay tuned!
– Troy
FlaredupFitness 